Topic: Headphone / DAC

[OOK]

Anyone using a good quality headphone DAC with their computer?  I am in the market for one and I think I have found one.  But I am not looking to spend a boatload so the Benchmark and Grace models are out of the question at the moment.  One will be had in the future but not now.  I am looking at the sub 500$ range.  There are some interesting T-Amp type Headphone DACs out there I might try.  Just wondering if anyone is using something that is the best kept secret?  We are talking bang for the buck Headphone DAC.

Peace OOK

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

I've looked at the NuForce and Fiio stuff before...  But never pulled the trigger...

Terry

[OOK]

I've looked at the NuForce and Fiio stuff before...  But never pulled the trigger...

Terry

I have looked at those too.

This caught my eye....  chip set looks like Wolfson WM8005 + Brown and Burr PCM1793.  The price is right too.

https://www.springwateraudio.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=62

[colinw]

I have had my eye on the Audioengine D1, which gets great reviews, and is a steal at under $200.

[jbou]

Here is a thread where the Audio Engine D1 is discussed.

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=156786.0

[jlykos]

I asked Santa to bring me an Audioquest Dragonfly for Christmas.  It has received rave reviews from pretty much every audio publication and costs around $250.  If Santa doesnt' bring it, I'm going to get it myself.  I'll post a short review when I get it.

I have researched this extensively and the best options that I found under $500 were the Peachtree Audio DAC-IT (~$450), the Arcam rDAC (~$450), the Schitt Bifrost (~$450), and the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 (~$350).  Not only is the Dragonfly smaller than any of those options, but it's easier to power (direct through USB) and sounds just as good as any of the other options. One drawback is that it only does 24/96 instead of 24/192, but I think that I can live with that.

[Jamos]

I've had an Audioengine D1 for about 6 months now and still think it's a great piece of gear.  Simple, sounds good, does up to 24/192, it's so small that it's easy to take with you.  I think unless you are going to step up to a significantly more expensive DAC, then you'll be very happy with it.

http://audioengineusa.com/Audioengine-D1#.UMbh3ZJBFBY

[acidjack]

I had a firestone FuBar that sounded good, though the AC adapter died. I think they are $300.  I actually liked the sound more than the Grace, despite the poor reliability. 

[page]

I've looked at the NuForce and Fiio stuff before...  But never pulled the trigger...

I've had some of the fiio stuff before, it's ok, great introduction and definately beats an onboard soundcard for laptops/pcs. I don't think it's necessarily better than what you'd get out of analog outs on a dvd player though. The problem with the fiio line (at least a couple years ago) was their forced integration. If you wanted the DAC, you had to use the amp.

the nuforce I haven't heard anything overly positive about their low-end Icon line.

I used stuff from ibasso for a while, those are cheap and perform well enough (especially considering the budget category). bigperm has one now I think as well.

the Schitt Bifrost (~$450)

I've heard a lot of people speak highly of this, but I've never heard one myself.

[noahbickart]

http://www.blacklionaudio.com/content.php?p=29

[kindms]

I took the chance on a well reviewed chinese company over at headfi at the time. I haven't been following the company that closely but have been using their headphone, pre-amp, DAC The audio-gd FUN. I have had it for several years now and use it just about everyday. About a year or so ago I reached out to get the updated USB board and they were quick and responsive. I was a little reluctant to send $ to china but it ended up working out really well

I would definitely buy from them again.

I think mine was like $300

USB, COAX, Optical
DAC out
Pre-AMP out
1/4" jack on the front
2 different gain stages
the device has several chips to mix and match flavors.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Products-EN.htm

[boyacrobat]

i still use a centrance dacmini
last week my hp volume became scratchy when turned
i will ship it back to the usa for new pots and pans
and ask them to check it out fully
lately its to bright and bass is to transparent almost invisible
maby my ears maby my speakers ma bx2 or amp brio r

i would like to try a nos dac 20 hz to 20 khz and no more
80s were my happiest sonic periods
the ultra spectrum maby to irritating over long hrs of listening for me

im getting irritaded from sound lately
i love audio
i just dont get it

synergy gone from my setup


g

[raymonda]

Matrix mini I is a really nice unit. I liked it so much I sold my MSB gold link. Now that says a lot. I also did a mini review of the unit in this section. Search and yea shall find. Good luck!

[Fried Chicken Boy]

I've looked at the NuForce and Fiio stuff before...  But never pulled the trigger...

I have owned both the NuForce Icon uDAC-2 and the FiiO E17. 

The uDAC-2 is a piece of crap: independent testing on several sites revealed that their claimed specs don't measure up to what actually happens under the hood so overall sound quality leaves much to be desired.  Personally, I also found it to pick up a lot of electronic interference so maybe there's shielding issues as well. 

The FiiO E17, in stark contrast, has it beat by a mile in build quality, sound quality and flexibility.  I wouldn't consider it "audiophile grade" and there might be better options mentioned in this thread, but the E17 has done me well for mixing things down on my laptop, is very reasonably priced and is much better than the stock soundcard.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

I've looked at the NuForce and Fiio stuff before...  But never pulled the trigger...

I have owned both the NuForce Icon uDAC-2 and the FiiO E17. 

The uDAC-2 is a piece of crap: independent testing on several sites revealed that their claimed specs don't measure up to what actually happens under the hood so overall sound quality leaves much to be desired.  Personally, I also found it to pick up a lot of electronic interference so maybe there's shielding issues as well. 

The FiiO E17, in stark contrast, has it beat by a mile in build quality, sound quality and flexibility.  I wouldn't consider it "audiophile grade" and there might be better options mentioned in this thread, but the E17 has done me well for mixing things down on my laptop, is very reasonably priced and is much better than the stock soundcard.

Thanks!  This thread has been very informative!  Glad to get some real info on these!

Terry

[boyacrobat]

Our warrantee is for one year. However, If you would like to send your unit in for repairs, you may certainly do so, if you are responsible for the cost of shipping in both directions. We will be glad to repair the unit at no cost for any of our loyal customers.

email reply re scratchy volume from centrance

thats service and i am grateful
now to ship back to usa

i will get a audioquest as a spare portable for pc
good excuse to try it out
44/48 over usb only though does bother me i think

i might go the portable centrance one instead the dacport
i feel it will be better but the audioquest does have reviews that glow
for a puny thing that it is

the voltage is why i think the centrance dacport will be better
and it does 24 96 over usb
and it does inc jitter measurements  in specs

a rule of mine is specs
no data provided  = its crap and they now it
you all should bank the last line

g

[yates7592]

YULONG D100 - I bought one last year and don't regret it - search on Head-Fi.org, there are some glowing reviews, very neutral DAC and transparent, of the same ilk as the Benchmark/Grace but sub-$300. Don't let the Chinese label put you off, it really is superb value for the money.

[OOK]

Man been down for the count the last few days sick as a dog.....   Finally feeling better.   Thanks for all the info.... I will report back once I get a unit..

[jbou]

YULONG D100 - I bought one last year and don't regret it - search on Head-Fi.org, there are some glowing reviews, very neutral DAC and transparent, of the same ilk as the Benchmark/Grace but sub-$300. Don't let the Chinese label put you off, it really is superb value for the money.

I hadn't heard about this one. Just did a little reading, and it seems pretty promising. Do you have the original or the D100 MKII?

[yates7592]

I think I have the original. The MkII came out just as I bought mine but from what I remember there wasn't much difference in the spec. The DAC quality is actually way beyond its price, the headphone amp is pretty good also.

[rjp]

Don't overlook some of the external audio recording interfaces as well... I've been using the now-discontinued E-MU 0404 USB (forget about using it with anything other than WinXP or Mac), and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (which actually has working Windows 7 drivers), and both sound wonderful through my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro/80 cans.

[noahbickart]

Schitt Audio has just release a $99 headphone amp with a matching usb Dac:

http://schiit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=1

If they are anything like the more expensive schitt they make, these should be on anyone's short list for a ~$200 DAC/AMP combo.

[dabbler]

I'm very happy with my standalone ODAC from JDSLabs.com (going to an Outlaw RR2150 receiver).
If I needed a separate headphone amp, I'd get the O2 (same designer).
It's also possible to get the O2 with the ODAC builtin.

[noahbickart]

I'm very happy with my standalone ODAC from JDSLabs.com (going to an Outlaw RR2150 receiver).
If I needed a separate headphone amp, I'd get the O2 (same designer).
It's also possible to get the O2 with the ODAC builtin.

Such a shame it can't handle 88.2 kHz. I don't understand why designers leave this out.

[SBW]

Don't overlook some of the external audio recording interfaces as well... I've been using the now-discontinued E-MU 0404 USB (forget about using it with anything other than WinXP or Mac), and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (which actually has working Windows 7 drivers), and both sound wonderful through my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro/80 cans.

The E-MU 0404 works out of the box as of ubuntu 12.10.  I've tested mine and the only thing that doesn't work is recording at 24bit 192khz.  Playback works up to 24/192 and recording works fine up to 24/96

[jlykos]

I'm very happy with my standalone ODAC from JDSLabs.com (going to an Outlaw RR2150 receiver).
If I needed a separate headphone amp, I'd get the O2 (same designer).
It's also possible to get the O2 with the ODAC builtin.

Such a shame it can't handle 88.2 kHz. I don't understand why designers leave this out.

The Audioquest Dragonfly can do 88.2. It has two word clocks, one for 44.1 / 88.2 and another for 48 / 96.

[H₂O]

http://mytekdigital.com/storeus/index.php/stereo192dsd-dac-bl-mast.html

If I had the cash this is what I'd buy!

[tim in jersey]

Anyone using a good quality headphone DAC with their computer?  I am in the market for one and I think I have found one.  But I am not looking to spend a boatload so the Benchmark and Grace models are out of the question at the moment.  One will be had in the future but not now.  I am looking at the sub 500$ range.  There are some interesting T-Amp type Headphone DACs out there I might try.  Just wondering if anyone is using something that is the best kept secret?  We are talking bang for the buck Headphone DAC.

Peace OOK

Hey now. You're welcome to borrow my Centrance DACport, if you'd like to audition it before you plunk down some cash (assuming you haven't already)...

http://centrance.com/products/dacport/

[rjp]

The E-MU 0404 works out of the box as of ubuntu 12.10.  I've tested mine and the only thing that doesn't work is recording at 24bit 192khz.  Playback works up to 24/192 and recording works fine up to 24/96

Good to know that recent Linux kernels support it. My XP box seems to be showing signs that it won't last long (bulging caps on the motherboard and CPU undervoltage warnings from the monitoring app), and I'd hate to junk a perfectly good interface because Creative couldn't be bothered to write release-quality Win7 drivers. Last time I had tried, the Linux drivers for the 0404 weren't ready for prime time. If only Foobar2000 natively supported Linux (WINE isn't really good enough). There are some decent players for Linux (such as Clementine), but I really like Foobar's file management and tagging.

I don't have any conceivable use for 24/192 at any rate...

[tim in jersey]

The E-MU 0404 works out of the box as of ubuntu 12.10.  I've tested mine and the only thing that doesn't work is recording at 24bit 192khz.  Playback works up to 24/192 and recording works fine up to 24/96

Good to know that recent Linux kernels support it. My XP box seems to be showing signs that it won't last long (bulging caps on the motherboard and CPU undervoltage warnings from the monitoring app), and I'd hate to junk a perfectly good interface because Creative couldn't be bothered to write release-quality Win7 drivers. Last time I had tried, the Linux drivers for the 0404 weren't ready for prime time. If only Foobar2000 natively supported Linux (WINE isn't really good enough). There are some decent players for Linux (such as Clementine), but I really like Foobar's file management and tagging.

I don't have any conceivable use for 24/192 at any rate...

The DACport is also supported natively in Linux... Just plug it in and it works.

[SBW]

I don't have any conceivable use for 24/192 at any rate...

Search the torrents for anything from hdtracks.com - you can get 24/192 files and they sound incredible when played back with mplayer

[audBall]

I don't have any conceivable use for 24/192 at any rate...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=bcYppAs6ZdI&feature=fvwp

Did you just inadvertently make an audiophile joke? 

[rjp]

Did you just inadvertently make an audiophile joke? 

Not intentionally. 

At any rate, that old Intel DG43NB motherboard had to go. It was getting to the point where it had trouble booting, and the processor V_CC was swinging wildly. I didn't really want to pitch a Core 2 Quad and 4 GB of DDR2 RAM, and I was leery of the possibility that a "latest and greatest" motherboard might not get along with XP, not to mention the extra cash I'd need to spend for a new CPU and DDR3 RAM. Fortunately, there were still a few LGA775 boards out there, and I ended up with an MSI G41M-P33. The switchover went smoothly, insofar as switching out motherboards on any Windows system can be called a "smooth" upgrade. I had to install new drivers, and then it bitched at me about reactivating it since the hardware changed (fuck you, Microsoft, this was a legitimately purchased copy of XP). At least it didn't fail to activate. Voltages are rock-steady and in spec.

As a contrast, I had Linux Mint 14 on a separate partition to see how it handled my 0404 USB, and Everything Just Worked with the new mobo - no drivers needed! I have my option when XP becomes untenable. (Other systems of mine have CentOS, OpenIndiana, Windows 7, or pre-WTF Ubuntu.)

Post-mortem on the old Intel board: zillions of bulging and/or tilted capacitors. The real WTF is that all of the caps are Nippon Chemi-Con, a well-respected name in the capacitor biz. The board was never ever used with crap PSUs, either, so I'm guessing something on the board went wonky (maybe a voltage regulator or a DC-DC converter) and started slow-cooking the caps. I guess the recent news that Intel was getting out of the PC motherboard business shouldn't be too much of a surprise; this is the second Intel board I've seen with BBQ'd caps.

[tim in jersey]

^just let out a guffaw at the term "pre-WTF Ubuntu". Got an even better laugh when I googled WTF Ubuntu...

http://www.wtfubuntu.com/

Curious as to which flavor of mint you are running? I'm still on Maya Cinnamon but will be auditioning Nadia soon via VirtualBox before comitting...

[rjp]

^just let out a guffaw at the term "pre-WTF Ubuntu". Got an even better laugh when I googled WTF Ubuntu...

http://www.wtfubuntu.com/

Curious as to which flavor of mint you are running? I'm still on Maya Cinnamon but will be auditioning Nadia soon via VirtualBox before comitting...

Nadia (version 14), with the Cinnamon desktop. There are a few little issues, but overall I like it - it isn't a dead end like GNOME2-based MATE, and it doesn't have the weirdness of standard GNOME3.

Too bad wtfubuntu.com seems to be just a placeholder page.

Trying to wrench this back to playback topics, I started looking at Linux audio players. Clementine looks very promising, but there's one extremely major problem for those of us who enjoy live recordings: its developers still haven't figured out how to make gapless playback work.  I didn't much care for Banshee. Quodlibet works pretty well, but it's pretty basic.

Foobar2000 under WINE sort-of works, but I ran into audible distortion.

For now, XP isn't going away on my "music box" system.

If I had unlimited free time, I'd consider writing a native Foobar-style player for Linux. Foobar seems to be the only player that handles "various artists" albums well, and its file-organizing is light years ahead of anything else I've found.

[Wiggler]

I've been blown away by the performance of the new Wadia 121 dac.  I've been using it with hifiman He-500's for a very compact desktop audio system.
http://www.wadia.com/products/decoding/121/

[Chilly Brioschi]

A Senn Head Amp is now out !